Shit! Advent calendar! 🤦🏽‍♀️

[clare8allthepies]

For the past few years I’ve used a refillable fabric advent calendar for my 2 girls. As they get older (they’re 12 and 15 now) it’s harder to find bits for it. Last year I thought that I had been really organised and had loads of stuff then when I went to fill it I only had enough things to fill half of the days and had to get chocs and sweets to fill the rest. I’ve just realised that it’s December on Monday and I haven’t got anything!

Does anyone have any genius recommendations for things they have bought? Their main interests are k pop and anime so it’s difficult to find stuff re to that in nearby shops. Thanks.

Can you get anything locally like sweets and chocs to get you by the first week while you quickly order some things online to fill the rest of it ?

Go to Flying Tiger and see what there is, buy a box of assorted Lindor chocs, Superdrug for lip balms, foot masks, nail varnish, hair accessories etc.

I'm sorry, this might not be helpful at all... but, if my son ends up liking anime, then for me, I'd fill it with badges.

I don't know if this is the case in the UK, but where I live, there are "nerdy/anime" shops, and one of their main products are collectable anime badges. They have them for every popular show, and they usually feature a selection of characters from that show.. you don't know which you will get until you open it. I could imagine an anime fan enjoying getting a different badge from some of the shows they like, and then pinning them on to something.

I have no idea if that type of thing is available in the UK, or possible to order in time though. Maybe see if there is anything like Anime badges, or stickers, or pins etc. on Amazon that can next-day deliver. you don't need to fill every day, just enough of something for the first few days, until you order/buy the rest later.

Japanese/Korean snacks and chocolate would also be an interesting thing that could fit in each part and can be ordered.. fits the theme they like, but again I don't know about specific places or delivery times.

Honestly I think you’re overthinking. Get some £1 coins, 50p coins, Cadburys heroes and a £5 note for Xmas eve and just shuffle them round. It’s 30 seconds of fun of a morning, not life changing gifts.

Is chocolate and sweets not enough? Maybe you're struggling because there isn't any more little bits of tat that they need? And presumably they'll get some bigger presents for Christmas.

I'd get a selection of different kinds of sweets and chocolates and just do that.

Some chocolate coins.
Squashies.
Candy Cane.
Lindt reindeer.
Percy Pig.
The KitKat Reindeer thing.
Assorted chocolate Christmas shapes.
Kinder Egg (not Christmassy but who doesn't like a kinder egg?!)

I made some tags with different "traditions"/activities for December eg. Build a gingerbread house/make a Christmas decoration etc. kids hang the tag on the tree after doing the activity. (Just a bunch of wooden tags, with some embellishments from the works painted and stuck on - took about an hour and half)

I bought big pack of mini gingerbread men and some chocolate coins. I will recycle the tags so I don't have to think about it next year.. or the year after.

Occasionally I leave a 'clue' to find the Christmas cookie cutters or something like that. It's just a bit of fun.

Flying Tiger is a good shout above. Also Primark, H and M and TK Maxx for little accessories to mix it up with chocolate and sweets.

Don’t know much about anime and k pop but could Amazon get you a few bits delivered by Monday?

Sounds expensive! Mine have wooden tree calendars with drawers and I put Heroes, Lindt, Snowballs, Robins in and a Santa for 24th.

department store beauty counters, tell them its for daughters advents, some will certainly be generous. if you do Amazon they have a wealth of cheap jewellery (Christmas or not), worry dolls, pin badges etc on next day delivery. Also lip salves etc as per PP. Fidget toys? And then fill the rest with chocolate.

Thank you for all of the great suggestions. Can you tell that I was somewhat panicking last night? 🤣 I decided to just chill out about it (very unlike me) and got them a nice Lindt calendar each at Tesco today. While I was having a sort out this afternoon I have got a few little key chains etc but they can now go into their stockings.
I told them that I had got shop bought ones and they couldn’t have been less bothered!

If you’re still looking for little things, if the girls have crocs you can get all sorts of jibbitz on Etsy. DS loves a themed jibbit!